GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – A freshly passed ordinance will change the way that Green Bay police officers handle reckless drivers moving forward.
On Tuesday night, Green Bay alders unanimously approved an ordinance to amend the city’s municipal code. This will change the way that police handle reckless drivers in the following ways:
- Officers can impound any vehicle involved in reckless driving.
- The person responsible for reckless driving can only get their vehicle back after they pay all fees associated with the impoundment like towing and storage costs.
- If an officer determines that the vehicle involved in reckless driving has been stolen, then they will attempt to contact the owner and return the vehicle without any fees.
Green Bay police officers told Local 5 News they’ve seen an uptick in reckless driving over the last few years. They said they’re hoping the new ordinance will have a deterring effect on people who might engage in unsafe behavior behind the wheel.
“Looking at our reckless driving citations over the last three years, we’re averaging 85 or 86 citations for reckless driving per year,” Green Bay police sergeant Sean Hamill told Local 5 News.
Hamill said that, on average, there are 200 injuries and six deaths per year in Brown County from speed-related crashes.
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A new law on reckless driving enforcement passed at the state level last fall paved the way for the city of Green Bay officials to pass this ordinance on Tuesday night.
“I fully support this and think this is important,” Green Bay Common Council President Brian Johnson said. “However, if we make this change and people don’t know we made this change, it’s going to lack the impact that we’re looking for.”
In response to Johnson, Green Bay police chief Chris Davis said that his department does have a communication plan for informing the public about the changes.
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“Speed and reckless driving is definitely a serious issue in Green Bay, Brown County, and the state of Wisconsin as well,” Sergeant Hamill said. “Make sure we’re looking out for each other and driving in a safe manner.”
Green Bay’s new ordinance for dealing with reckless drivers takes effect immediately.
